When particulate matter such as corn, wheat, barley or the like is delivered to a grain elevator or is directed from the grain elevator to a truck or railroad car, for example, the stream flow of the particulate being transported must often times be redirected through an elbow to the place where the particulate matter is to be deposited. Even though these elbows are made of steel or similar material, the particulate matter, which flows at high velocity through the elbow, acts as an extremely abrasive material as it strikes an inner surface of the elbow. The abrasion caused by the particulate material leads to a rapid deterioration of the inner surface, impacted by the particulate material, which requires frequent repair or replacement.
Wear plates are typically mounted on the appropriate inner wall surfaces to protect conduits from the abrasive nature of the particulate matter such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,055 to Griese et al.
Another technique which has been used incorporates baffles which are positioned in the stream flow when the particulate matter is caused to flow in a different direction. In devices using this technique, the baffles collect the particulate material during stream flow which acts as a shield to restrict wear of the inner surface. A device incorporating this technique is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,743 to Stahl. Such baffles typically collect particulate matter which remains trapped in the baffles when the stream flow to the baffles has stopped. If there is a long delay between successive uses of the devices, any trapped grain may contaminate successive uses. Trapped grain may also attract rodents or insects into the device after a grain flow stops.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,552 discloses a device which does not need to be replaced at frequent intervals, and is self-cleaning so that particulate matter is not trapped after a grain flow has stopped. The baffles of the elbow reduce the velocity of particulate matter being transported to downstream spouting equipment, and at the same time provide a structure to shield the elbow from abrasive wear. These internal baffles are known to cause a backing up of the material within the adjustable spout end when material is provided at a sufficiently high flow rate. Once a sufficient flow is present, the grain entering the adjustable spout end strikes the reservoir of grain backing up. The incoming grain is thereby relatively gently decelerated by collision with the numerous movable grain particles building up inside the adjustable spout end. Once the grain is slowed and transformed into a substantially vertical columnar flow, it enters the top of the bin.
While these adjustable spout ends have enjoyed much success and have been used extensively in the past, they do have some drawbacks.
As an example, the effectiveness and efficiency of the grain-to-grain deceleration, occurring when incoming grain strikes grain pooling within the adjustable spout end, is at least somewhat dependent upon the angle between the incoming spout and the baffles fixed within the adjustable spout end and upon the flow rate of material through the spout. These adjustable spout ends generally operate optimally at a maximum spout flow rate and at some angle of arrival between 38 degrees and 90 degrees. These adjustable spout ends often operate sub-optimally as the flow rate decreases and/or the angle of the spout departs from the optimal orientation.
Consequently, there exists a need for an improved device, method and system which overcomes the problems of the prior art and allows the grain or other free-flowing material to be moved in a cost effective manner with minimal damage to the material.